David Griffin Talks Cavs, Roster Moves

When the Cavs decide to sign or trade for a player, LeBron James is often credited with the orchestration of the roster move. GM David Griffin isn’t upset by the notion that a player is doing his job, though he does believe it’s unfair for outsiders to paint James as someone who is constantly pushing the buttons behind the scenes, as he tells Michael Lee of The Vertical.

“I take offense to it on [James’] behalf at times,” Griffin said. “He doesn’t like that image. I don’t think he wants that image. He wants to lead his troops. He wants to be a player. He wants to lead the guys from within. He never tried to do any more than that. I think for him, it’s almost an unfair characterization of him, that he’s some kind of overlord. That’s not at all what he does.”

James has publicly lobbied for the organization to add a veteran point guard with his most recent request coming after the team traded for Kyle Korver. Griffin knows the team can get better, despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference.

“We like our group. We think we’ve got a group that belongs together, that fits together,” Griffin told Lee. “But if we can improve and continue to further the cause, then we will. We’ve got that same small window to capitalize in and we’re going to do what we need to, when we can.”

Griffin is well-versed in mid-season moves. Within months of taking the GM position, he traded for Spencer Hawes in hopes of competing for the eighth seed in the conference. During the 2014/15 season, he made a bold move in acquiring J.R. Smith along with Iman Shumpert. Last year, he made an even bolder move by firing David Blatt, a coach who had taken the team to the NBA Finals in the previous season.

“Our ownership has something they fell back on as a saying: ‘Nothing clarifies like clarity.’ We know what we’re about. Our only goal is to win championships. Sometimes, when that’s true, decisions make themselves,” Griffin said of the decision to fire Blatt. “It was not an overly difficult decision to make the move we made; it was just difficult to execute. We had a conversation like, ‘Nobody ever does this.’ And my response was, ‘You don’t know how many teams should have and where they’d be had they done it. I know no one has done it, but I can tell you somebody should have.”

The decision turned out to be the right call, as the Cavs won the championship under new coach Tyronn Lue. This year, the team is looking to go back-to-back and Griffin understands the unique situation he’s in, as he tells Lee in the same piece.

“I’ve said this several times since, but you’re basically charged with the legacy of Babe Ruth, and it’s our responsibility to allow that legacy to grow and evolve,” Griffin told Lee. “So it’s almost like a sacred trust that the kid gives you. He’s so good, in his own right, by himself, that he sort of mandates you have to be a title contender just by his presence alone … and if you don’t capitalize on the years he has left, then shame on us.”

Lee’s piece contains several other quotes from Griffin. It’s worth a read for both Cavs fans and fans of the league in general.

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